How To Run A Viking Tribe
by Ilovegoodstories8888
Summary: Hiccup and Merida have just found out that they're being forced into a marriage. From the start they hate each other, but Merida has to visit Berk with her family for a long time. Then dragons start attacking Berk, and everyone thinks Toothless is behind it. It's time for the Scot and the Viking to buck up and work together to save the dragons while juggling their feelings Mericcup
1. Chapter 1

"Hiccup."

The 22 year-old didn't even flinch. Stoick sighed and stared down at his son's sleeping form, his body sprawled across his desk, papers spread out over the surface.

_"Hiccup."_

Hiccup shot to his feet, his arms flailing and knocking off a tin of charcoal to the ground. He swiped at a piece of paper that was stuck to his cheek and slapped it down on the desk hurriedly.

"Dad," he panted. "S-Sorry. I must've fallen asleep last night." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm working on a new project."

Stoick stared down at the mess of drawings and scribbles on the desk. "I don't know if working is the right word."

Hiccup was oblivious to his father's unimpressed glare. "I'm trying to invent this sort of 'flying suit' so that I can just jump off of Toothless' back, and then BAM, I'm flying." He reddened. "After I finish reading over that, uh, that thing you wanted me to look at."

"That thing," Stoick was going to rant, but he stopped himself. Hiccup's unintersted attitude toward the financial situation of Berk was not a priority. "Nevermind. But I have news."

"Yeah?" Hiccup knelt down and began picking up the charcoal, dropping them into the tin one by one with a _plunk, plunk, plunk. _"What is it?"

"It's been spotted."

_plunk._ "What has?"

"The ship. Just off Raven Point. She's here, Hiccup."

Silence.

"Merida?"

"Yes."

Hiccup's face went pale, all evidence of blood flow disappearing. "How long?"

"3 hours, tops." Stoick sighed, staring at his son. "You'd better get cleaned up."

Hiccup nodded and set the tin down on the desk. "Great."

Merida was a 21 year old Scottish princess, a girl who had turned down 15 proposals, a girl whose parents didn't know what to do with.

And he had to marry her.

It had all started 2 months ago, on a stormy evening. Hiccup was lying in front of the fireplace, fast asleep, a tiring day of discussing Berk's politics with his father finally over. It was all part of a plan to educate Hiccup on how to run a Viking Tribe. Stoick stressed this education and its importance because, as he put it, someday he'd be dead and everyone would depend on Hiccup.

It scared Hiccup silly.

Stoick was working on a map, updating it. Once in a while he'd glance over at his son. He knew Hiccup would have no trouble finding a wife to produce an heir. He was a good looking young man, now, all awkwardness and gangly limbs gone. After training over a hundred dragons since he was 16, his body was fairly toned and muscled, and he had grown. He and the other Vikings his age and younger would not be as huge as their parents, as dragon fighting days, the days that put the huge amount of muscle on their parents, were over.

In other words, they didn't look like walking houses.

A knock on the door came. Stoick answered it, stretching as he walked towards the door. It was Snotlout, who was working part time as a dragon courier, clutching a damp letter in his hand.

"From Scotland," he panted. "DunBroch."

Stoick stiffened visibly. Scotland was Berk's biggest enemy. War had been talked of, on both sides, for the past few months, and the tension between the two was so thick it almost felt as if you could ut it with a butter knife.

"Thank you," he said, taking the letter in a huge hand. There it was, the red seal.

He opened it without hesitation. he wasn't one for drama. However, after reading it, once more for good measure, all fear and worry was gone. It was not a proposal of war, but quite the contrary. A proposal of marriage.

For Hiccup.

_To Stoick, Chieftan of the Berk Viking tribe,_

_respectfully from Queen Elinor and King Fergus, of DunBroch, Scotland._

_Stoick, we know that then tension between Berk and Scotland is heavy, and it is taking its toll on our people. However, we have a solution._

_1 year ago, our daughter turned down her 15th proposal of marriage. Since then, though, she has realized what a big importance it is for her to produce an heir, and we have been searching for a suitor in Scotland. There anre no more in this country who have the courage to ask her or go through woth the marriage._

_With your tribe and our country talking of war, we have decided that the best solution would be for Merida to marry your son. She is 21 years old now, and we understand your son is not much older. If anyone can handle her, it is a Viking._

_Awaiting your reply,_

_Queen Elinor, written in her own hand._

Stoick's first reaction was shock. The second, laughter. His worries were for nothing. However, it was truly the best solution, one that could create an alliance.

And so he told his son.

Now, Hiccup was awaiting the arrival of his soon-to-be fiancee, hurriedly washing his face and combing his hair with shaking fingers. His friends had aken the news well. He and Astrid had been over a long time, but she hadn't taken it very well. That meant her storming away and practicing her axe throwing.  
Hiccup honestly didn't have feelings for Astrid anymore, but that didn't mean that he wanted to marry a girl he had never met, from a country that had been talking of war only a few months ago.

Did she even know about the dragons. Every time someone on Berk opened a door, or looked out a window, they saw dragons. Everywhere. It was nice, to have the beasts on their side. But for visitors from Scotland, who possibly hadn't heard of Berk's unique characteristic, it could be very shocking.

Hiccup shrugged. Oh they scared off Merida so badly that she never returned, would it bother him?

Nope.

_ Well, I guess I'm starting a new one. A whole lot of credit goes to __**Dragons-of Berk**__, as she's the one who gave me the idea for this story. We have it all planned out. You should check out her stories. I have read some of them and they are great HTTYD fanfics!_

_Please let me know what you think, review favourite, follow! _

_Thanks :D_


	2. Chapter 2

Hiccup was ready. He opened the door of the house a little and peeked out through the crack. It was a winter day, and although the outskirts of the island were shrouded in a blanket of mist, the village was sunny, brisk, and clear. A few people milled about, although most people were down at the port, making preparations for the royals' arrival. Hiccup breathed deeply and pulled the door open the whole way, taking in the view. A few dragons flew through the air, their riders keeping an eye on the ship while whooping with delight.

Astrid walked by just then, an axe over her shoulder. She brushed a strand of golden hair from her eyes, her cheeks rosy after her training. She paused in front of Hiccup's house, spying him in the doorway.

"Hey, Hiccup," she said casually. "It's the big day."

"Yeah," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm all ready."

An awkward silence ensued, something that the two were used to ever since Astrid broke up with him.

"I'll just be-"

"I'm a bit busy-"

They parted ways, Astrid kicking herself internally for acting, as she thought, so dorky, while Hiccup let the event slide from his mind.

As he made his way through the village, he recieved many pats on the back and congratulatory greetings.

"Hey Hiccup! Good luck!"

"Congratulations, Hiccup!"

"She's almost here, Hic, get ready!"

He smiled at his well-wishers, ducked his head down, and walked as quickly as possible away from them. Nobody seemed to realize that his marriage was not a thing to rejoice in. Not him, anyways.

* * *

Gobber stood in front of five teenagers, giving each of them a stern stare.

"Ruffnut and Tuffnut," he said, "if either of you cause _any_ trouble during the Scots' stay, you'll be banned from training from a month."

"Hey!" Ruffnut yelped. "Why would we cause any trouble?"

"Yeah," Tuffnut chimed in. "We're angels."

"You mean I am," Ruffnut snapped. "We all know you're an idiot."

Tuffnut glared at her. "I am not-"

"Shut up!" Gobber yelled. "Snotlout, the same goes for you. If you make a move on that girl, you'll be right with the twins." He sighed and looked at Fishlegs and Astrid. "Fishlegs, keep your informational, rambling mouth to yourself, and Astrid, don't kill Merida."

"Why would I do that?" She asked indignantly.

Everyone snickered.

"Come on, Astrid," Tuffnut laughed a little. "We all know you're, you know, into Hiccup."

"Into...?" Realization dawned on her face. "Why you-"

She punched him in the stomach, and probably would have gone lower if Gobber didn't grab her shoulder and jerk her backwards.

"All of you," he said, "behave." And then he limped away, off to find Stoick.

* * *

The ship glided smoothly into the berth, the crewmen waving and whistling at the other Vikings. They had been sent, along with the ship, to escort Merida and her family to Berkm and they were were home. But for their passengers, the sight below was foreign and strange. Merida stood at the railing and looked down at the people below. Her brothers stood in a line next to her, all twelve years old, and well aware of the situation. Hubert, the one closest to her, squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"You'll be fine," he said hopefully. "At least we have some of our staff."

Merida nodded, looking behind her at the servants they had brought with them. A little piece of home.

"You're right," she sighed. And yet she didn't feel much better. She kept on scanning the crowd, wondering which of them was her fiance.

"Merida!" She heard her father call out, his voice a little panicked. "Could you please come help us with this insane, enormous-" His voice cut off.

She turned and saw him tugging as hard as he could on Angus's lead rope, teeth clenched. Two other men were trying to help, the Clydesdale would not move. Merida wordlessly walked over, took the lead rope gently, and clicked her tongue. Angus immediately stepped forward, ready for his owner to give him a command. The two men who were helping watched in amazement as she led the horse over to the railing.

"Don't worry, boy," she said calmingly. "It's just a little different from Scotland."

Or a lot different. The outside of the island had been blanketed in mist, yet it seemed clear as day in the actual village. The people looked huge, there were enormous cliffs, and there were large wooden pillars and platforms scattered around the landscape.

And then, she saw it.

At first, she thought it was a bird. It was the only explanation for that thing in the air, flying so gracefully.

But it looked somehow reptilian.

"What the..."

"Is that a dragon?" Fergus asked in amazement. He looked closer. "So the rumours were true."

"What rumours?" Merida asked, her eyes following the blue creature. Fergus smiled, pleased that Merida was actually talking to him. Ever since he and Elinor had announced that she was betrothed to a Viking boy, she had been giving them the silent treatment.

"There've been tales of dragons," he said simply. "Of course, we though it was too weird to be true, but, well," he gestured at the sky, where two more dragons had appeared.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked incredulously, her blue eyes widening.

"We didn't want to get your hopes up." He heard someone call his name. "I've gotta go, love. Get ready for the gangway to be lowered.| He looked at Angus. "Control him, and your brothers. I'm afraid your mother's still not feeling well."

Elinor had been plaugued with sea sickness, almost the whole three weeks it had taken the family to get to Berk.

Hubert, Hamish, and Harris rushed up, pointing at the sky and exclaiming. And for the first time in weeks, Merida smiled.

_Here it is. I'm sorry it took so long to update, it's just I've been so busy. Hopefully there aren't too many grammatical and speeling errors. I didn't edit the last chapter. Thanks for reading!_

_Review, fav, follow! :D_


	3. Chapter 3

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Could that be his heart? Hiccup glanced around, trying to see if anyone heard the huge drum in his chest.

Nope.

The gangway fell to the dock, the viking crew shouting back and forth, grinning. They were finally home. There was a loud whinny, a sound that caused murmurs to ripple through the crowd. To the Vikings, horses were non-existent.

A few people came down the ramp, servants, they looked like, carrying trunks and bags. Then three boys, all looking around with their mouths open in awe.

"Hamish!" A woman's voice scalled out. "Harris! Hubert! All of you-" She stood up straight, realizing there were a few hundred people staring at her.

"Er.. Announcing Queen Elinor of Scotland," a small man said. His accent sounded almost like a song, the lilting words carrying across the crowd. Elinor nodded to everyone and was joined by her husband.

"King Fergus."

And then, there she was. Tall and curvy and clothed in a turquoise dress, a girl with an enormous, beautiful pile of red curls stepped into view, leading a huge, black and white horse. The animal raised its head and looked at the strange people, breathing in the ocean breeze. It looked scared and shaky, but the girl, Merida, rested her hand on his neck and led him down the walkway.

"Princess Merida." The man yelled, his face going red with the force of his bellowing. Hiccup giggled a little.

Stoick elbowed him. It was time. He led his son through the crowd and walked right up to the family.

"Welcome to Berk," he said with a grin. He bowed, Hiccup following his lead. Slowly, and rather reluctantly, the rest of Berk bowed or curtsied too, muttering among themselves. "This," Stoick said, nudging Hiccup forward, "is my son, Hiccup."

Elinor, in a single glance, took Hiccup in. Tall and strong-looking, thick brown hair and sharp green eyes, a friendly, lazy smile and a small spattering of freckles on his nose. He looked like a man the girls would run after.

He also looked like Merida's perfect match. Already, Elinor thought, they looked good together.

"It's wonderful to meet you," Elinor said kindly, taking his hand and giving it a little shake. Hiccup reached for Fergus's hand, making sure to squeeze as hard as possible. He had to make a good impression.

"This," Fergus said, "is Merida."

Perhaps everyone watching held their breath. This was the crucial moment, the moment that could very well decide the couple's future.

Merida swallowed her pride, reached out her hand, and smiled.

"Good to meet you," she said. But Hiccup knew that the look hidden beneath the smile was not a friendly one. "This is Angus," she said, gesturing towards the horse. "He's big.

"Uh yeah," Hiccup finally said something. "Um, I have a pet, too, he's somewhere around here..." He looked around.

"Oh, Elinor said pleasantly. "Do you have a dog?"

Merida realized with a grin that Elinor had not noticed the twin's shouting and screaming and pointing, or the dragons so high in the sky.

"Uh," Hiccup said nervously, glancing at Merida's smile, "not exactly."

Another murmur rippled through the crowd, and people started to part. An enormous black shape lumbered through, his big turquoise eyes intelligent.

"I-Is that..." Elinor went pale.

"Not a dog," Merida laughed, staring at Toothless.

The triplets began shouting and screaming again.

"Alright, alright," Stoick stepped in. "As I said, welcome to Berk. I'm afraid we don't have, er, horse-drawn carriages here," he looked at Angus, "but it's not a long walk, and it's pleasant." He started to walk away, beckoning them to follow him. Elinor, somewhat over her fright, arranged everything so that Hiccup and Merida walked beside each other, at the back. Although she was rather surprised and not at all happy at the fact they had to, heaven forbid, WALK to their place, she knew this was a perfect chance for Hiccup and Merida to bond.

They walked for a few minutes. Everything was silent, even the vikings who had come to 'welcome' the Scots.

"They don't like you," Hiccup said apologetically. "You Scots, I mean. There's a bit of-"

"I know," Merida said curtly, all smiles and laughter gone. "Right back at you."

"I didn't say that I don't like you," Hiccup said indignantly, with a bit of anger. "I just said-"

"Do I seem deaf to you?" Merida snapped. Hiccup sighed angrily and stared at his feet as they kept on walking.

"Calm down."

If there was one thing Merida hated, it was somebody telling her to calm down. She stopped in her tracks and glared at Hiccup, blue eyes flashing. "Don't ever tell me to calm down," she hissed, almost growling.

The reaction was so tremendous and funny that Hiccup almost wanted to say it again. However, he was a good man and he knew that if this marriage was not a success, there would most likely be a war.

"Okay," he muttered. And, with much willpower, "sorry."

Merida smirked and began to look around.

"Hiccup!" Someone yelled. She and Hiccup turned around to see a group of people running towards them, from the bottom. Elinor, who was walking ahead, glanced back and smiled. Good. Merida would meet the local kids that were her age.

"Hey guys," Hiccup said, waving. "This is-"

"Merida," Snotlout said courteously. He knelt down on a knee, grabbed her hand, and kissed it, all in one fluid motion. "How positively _wonderful_ to mee-"

"Shut up," a girl with long blonde hair snapped. She smiled at Merida. "I'm Ruffnut. This idiot is Snotlout.

Snotlout glared at her. "Idiot my as-"

"I'm Tuffnut," A boy said, cutting Snotlout off. "I'm her twin."

"And I'm Fishlegs," a chubby boy said.

"He's really smart," Ruffnut informed Merida.

"Why is _he_smart?" Snotlout demanded. He gestured to himself with a thick finger. "What about _me_? I'm a dragon courier, after all, so-"

"I'm Astrid." A girl with a thick blond braid didn't smile at all, just stared at Merida. The atmoshphere changed, and everyone instantly shut up.

"Uh," Merida, for once, was almost speechless. It's..." She straightened her shoulders and tossed her mane of curls. "It's good to meet all of you," she finished, "but I have to go and unpack." She ndoded once more, curtly, and turned around to leave.

"I better go, too," Hiccup said apologetically. "Maybe we can go for a fly tomorrow?"

"Nope." It was Gobber. "Not until the Scots are more comfortable."

Everyone groaned in unison. "Flying isn't fun without Hiccup," Snotlout grumbled. He nodded his godbye and left, Hiccup doing the same.

"Sorry about that," Hiccup told Merida, catching up. "They're all really nice."

Curiousity got the better of Merida. "And Astrid?"

"Not so nice." It was Hiccup's turn to be curt, and he ended the conversation with a mumbled excuse.

Merida shrugged. if he wanted to leave, he could. That was his choice. She looked at the landscape around her. A little fog, steep, sharp cliffs, grey, cold looking ocean, and the tiniest bit of sun that offered no warmth.

"Wonderful," she said to herself sarcastically. Behind her, a servant was leading Angus, who had calmed down immensley. She thanked the man and took Angus's lead, hopping up on his bareback and riding him up the path, enjoying the feel of his muscles moving against her legs.

"You're my only friend now, Angus." She whispered.

She didn't realize just how melodramatic she was being.


End file.
